KSP on Observer Inflation: If the Data is Accurate, No Problem

The Head of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Muhammad Qodari, stated that Cabinet Secretary Lieutenant Colonel Teddy Indra Wijaya’s comments on “observer inflation” do not imply that the government is against criticism.

According to him, Teddy’s statement actually emphasises that every opinion expressed by observers should be accompanied by the use of precise and accurate data.

“So, use data, use theory. If the data is accurate, no problem,” said Qodari when met at the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex on Monday, 13 April 2026.

He claimed that Teddy’s statement does not refer only to observers, but to all figures who express opinions or aspirations. “But, observers usually come from academic backgrounds, so use accurate data,” Qodari said.

On Friday, 10 April, Teddy Indra Wijaya said that Indonesia is currently experiencing a phenomenon called observer inflation. This phenomenon is highlighted because many observers have emerged who are deemed to lack the appropriate background for the fields they cover.

Even, said Teddy, these observers often convey data that does not match the facts on the ground. “There are rice observers, military, foreign affairs but the data does not match the facts, the data is wrong,” said Teddy at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Friday, 10 April 2026.

He also assessed that most of these observers have been trying to shape public opinion even before Prabowo Subianto took office as president. “So those observers have already influenced citizens,” he said.

Nevertheless, Teddy claimed that the facts show Prabowo succeeded in garnering more than 96 million votes in the 2024 presidential election.

“The fact is, more than 96 million citizens trust Mr Prabowo more. They don’t trust them. Well, that is real evidence of public trust. Not an assumption,” he said.